Five dental care habits that you must teach your child

As one of the leading dental surgeons of India, Dr. Vijay Deshmukh has tackled several complicated cases. Through the various treatments at Smilex Dental clinic, Dr. Deshmukh has successfully created a comprehensive gamut of options to take care of many types of dental problems occurring in people across age groups. This service also includes dental care for kids. However, a surprising insight that Dr. Deshmukh and his team have come across is that a lot of dental problems are actually a result of lack of patient’s ability to maintain dental hygiene.

Dr. Deshmukh said, "Simple things like brushing your teeth after every meal or flossing regularly can make a big difference to a person’s dental health. However, people don’t give importance to the idea of forming such habits and end up dreading the visit to the dentist. While it is important to pay attention to caring for your dental health, it is also important to start developing these habits right from childhood so that the effects are long lasting."

"This puts the onus on the parents, they have to teach their children all the important things about dental care and hygiene. At Smilex Dental Clinic, Pune, we always make it a point to emphasize on the importance of dental care to all our little patients and even encourage the parents to be forthcoming in talking to their kids about the importance of the matter," added Dr. Deshmukh.

So coming from the experts at one of the best dental clinics in Pune, here is a compilation of 5 dental care habits that parents must teach their children.

-Brushing is important: A lot of kids don’t even know how to brush properly. Every morning when you give them the toothbrush, they finish the job in less than a minute. This is wrong. Teach your child the importance of brushing and the different motions used to reach the different parts of the oral cavity. What’s more is that you have to teach them to brush at least two times a day, i.e. morning when they wake up and at night before they sleep. In fact, if possible ask them to brush after every meal.

-Reduce the intake of sugary foods: Sugary foods like juices, chocolate bars, soft drinks, etc. are always high on the preference list of toddlers. However, these foods can accelerate the process of tooth decay therefore reduce the dependence on them.

-Nip the problem in the bud: Talk to your kids about common dental problems like tooth decay, cavities, etc. and tell them about the symptoms so that when they experience anything similar they are able to tell you sooner. This will also help in detecting the problem early and getting rid of it.

-Practice what you preach: In order to teach your kids to practice healthy habits, you will have to lead by example. Don’t be lazy or avoid dental problems because if you do so, that’s what the kid will learn.

-Go to the dentist regularly: Your child’s first dental visit should start with their first birthday and become a habit repeated at regular intervals after that.